Horizontal rotary scalper



May 10, 1949- A. AxE| HORIZONTAL ROTARY SCALPER Filed Dec. 9, 1944 Patented May 10, 1949 HORIZONTAL ROTARY SCALPER Archie Axell, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Haaky Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application December 9, 1944, Serial No. 567,372

1 Claim.

My invention relates to an improvement in horizontal rotary scalper wherein it ls desired to provide an effective means of removing foreign particles from grain to be cleaned.

When grain is delivered to a mill or the like it often contains a great many impurities. These impurities range from pieces f metal, wood, and stones to various types of foliage and the like. Many of these impurities might prove eX- tremely detrimental to the grain separating mechanism should they be permitted to pass with the grain into the separators. It is the main purpose of the present scalper to receive grain containing these large foreign particles and to separate the grain from the particles.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a rotary screen mounted upon a horizontal axis against which the entering grain is permitted to ilow. Rotation of the screen tends to ycarry the particles of foreign material over the 'top of the screen and to deposit the same in a suitable passage. The smaller particles of grain are permitted to pass through the screen and are thus transferred to a different chute or receptacle, thus completing the separation.

A feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the foreign material in the grain is carried over the top of the screen by frictional engagement with the screen. As a result it is almost i-mpossible for small particles such as kernels of grain or the like to be carried over the top of the screen and deposited with the foreign matter found in the grain.

A feature of the present invention lies in the use of an outwardly indented screen having apertures in the indentations off-set from the center thereof. These indentations form outwardly extending projections on the screen which assist in the conveyance of larger particles of foreign matter over the top of the screen.

A further feature of the present invention lies in the method of withdrawing dust from the machine casing lby suction. During the scalping process a certain amount of dust is created. Thus dust may be removed by subjecting the casing to the action of suction. While no aspiration of the grain, as it is commonly known, takes place, no dust or dirt exudes from the machine because of this suction connection to the casing.

A further feature of the present invention lies in the provision of an adjustable feed which regulates the flow of grain into the scalper, depending upon the speed with which the particular grain being scalped may pass through the apparatus. It is desirable to regulate the intake of grain as by building up a deep well of grain adjacent the screen the effectiveness of the scalping operation is decreased.

A further feature of the present invention lies in providing a substantially horizontal shelf adjacent the screen upon which the enclosing grain is fed. This shelf forms a pocket of predetermined width adjacent the screen upon which grain may drop. Tests have shown that when a grain shelf is provided of the type described the action is greatly superior to a somewhat similar construction in which the grain is fed against the screen in a wedge shaped formation. The construction embodying the horizontal shelf seems to permit some of the weight of the enclosing grain to be supported by the shelf so that there is no great pressure forcing the grain against the surface of the cylinder.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claim.

In the drawings forming a part of my specication:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through my scalper showing the relationship of the parts thereof.

Figure 2 is a section taken at right angles to the section line of Figure 1, the position of the section being indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detailed view showing a, seal which prevents the grain and foreign material from passing over the ends of the rotating cylinder.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view showing the manner in which the inlet of the scalper may be regulated.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the inlet regulating means shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a plan view showing a portion of the screen.

' The scalper A is supported by four rectangularly arrangedvertical angle iron legs I0 which are connected at their lower extremity by a rectangular angle iron fram II. A similar rectangular angle iron frame I2 connects the legs I0 at their upper extremity thereof. This angle iron frame extends approximately one-half the height of the scalper.

A pair of connecting hoppers or chutes are provided within the frame work above described. The main hopper I3 is centrally located between the end legs I0 as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings. The outlet aperture I4 of the hopper' I3 may, however, be olf-set transversely of the machine if desired, as illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings. The hopper I3 is provided along three of its four substantially rectangularly arranged upper edges by an outwardly extending end ange I5 and outwardly extending side flanges IB. The anges I5 and Iii rest upon the angle iron frame I2 and are secured thereto for support lthereby.

The fourth edge I-'I of the substantiallyre tangular top of the hopper I3 is connected to a second hopper or chute I9. The chute I9 is substantially smaller than the hopper ..-I-,3- and is designed to receive foreign matter carried over` the top of the cylindrical screen. .The chute :or hopper I9 is provided with afsubstantially :rectangular upper end including a laterally extending end flange 42t and opposed ..laterallyextending side langes 2|, all of which anges overlie the angle iron frame I2 and are secured thereto. The fourth edge 23 of the;` substantially rectangular 'hopper topiisfcomiectedto the edge fifi of thev hopper .fSras :best illustratedzin fEigure ...1 of the drawings. 'I'husftherentire 4farea'zrwithin Athe frame |52 leads Ito'feither one iii-opper :lf3 :or .the other I9.

TlVIountedruponfoppositej sidesy of :the 1 angleiron frame 5I`2, Ifprovide opposed bearings '.24 which supportfazrotatable 'shaft 25.` Upon :this .shaft :2 5 are :arranged vva :pair of Lspaced. spiders 2,6, and w27. AA cylindricallscreen .iissupportedi by thespiders 26 andi ZI Thespiders .farefsecured s toi-the :shaft forirotationtherewithand theishaft zissgretated by :any :suitable source .fof/mower, met illustrated in fthe drawings.

'The screenrZSlisxpreferablyforrnedsas best ,illustratedliniEigure zof'athenirawings. Af-.series `of rounded Aiindentations :53D project :outwardly from the surface of 'the screen? and :apertures IBI are punched or otherwiseormed inzthe .ndentations offesetsfrorn the reenter thereof. The apertures are :so arranged iin itheir .undentations :that one edgezt'he re o'f :isrsubstantiallyjiush with :the cylindrical surface of the screen 29, while the other end thereofls attlreitopfnfthe'indentation. The apertures f*are soormed thattheir :centers fare in a diagonal direction from the direction of travel io'f the'lscreen, :as bestiillustrated in Figure 6:of :the liirawings '.ilhe lower Afedges'oi the indentations thu-staat :as scoop-sato facilitate ;the entry of grain thereinto and the position 4of the aperturessseems te have fan yaunusual eifect in twisting the kernels :of grainrsozthatgthey -may readily enter the apertures'. .{Ihese fproiections also increase the friction with'whieh Ythe Ilarge particles ofl foreign :engage .the :screen and facilitate :theaactinn fof thefscreen in .carrying these foreign materials over the stop iQf :the screen;

In emerito-guideanycmaterialsmarriedpver the tgp :ofzntdre iintotthe :chute i931 :provide a baiiie plate 32 secured to the edges .Afhandz ofztherhoppersn andiIgS-respectiuely. ".Flhisbiafe plate .extends lunwardly and 'ltpward `,the u surface olf ithe Pscreenw29. .fAfsealingiband v3.3 of any suitable soft exible ymaterial is :secu-red to lthe baule fplate 32uand extends; into l'contact with `the surface fof 1the :screen e259, thus :preventing any of the fgoreign fparticles ?rrom being :carried fpast #the baille plate by rotation of the fcylindricalscreen.

An aenclosure f coversthe cylindrical screen 29 asrbestdllustratedginrligures11fancl;2 ofthefdraw- Ellis :enclosure iollows to fsorne extent ythe contour fOf rthe -cylinder-at the fr outlet -end -.of the machineand ,Iformsvaninlethopper at the inlet end lof thezmachine. 'llhe enclosure includes :a

-fof the inlet hopper 52.

curved plate 3d which is provided with an end flange secured to overlie the end flange 20 of the hopper Iii. The plate 34 curves upwardly over the top of the screen 29 and terminates in a horizontal portion 36 which is bent upwardly a and laterally at 3Q to form a hopper flange. The plate Se is provided with inwardly extending iianges'lli and i l. Theseflangesl' anddI extend throughout the length of the curved and horizontal portions of the plate 34 and form the sides Where the flanges 40 and AI :extend upwardly to form the inlet hopper $22, the upper extremity of the flanges are bent laterally atltandfsi'fl to form attaching flanges Acoplaner with thefiiange 39.

The housing of the scalper `also includes an inclined end plate which vterininates `at its upper extremity in a lateral flange it coplaner with the flanges 39, 13,

"dit `and which extends downwardly toward the surface of the screen 29 terminating in a horizontally ezrtendingztableorshelf fill. ,A ilexible sealing member 149 l:of'any suitable material is snppcetl :hyahershelf E*il :and engages against the scr-een 29 forming ar-seal topreventggrainrand foreign lparticlesrfrom :dropping'zbetween the lsurface of the screen 2.9 andv-.theshelf 41.

'Outer vhousing elements :Eland J1I r are provided with :top andgcurvedl'anges-. -and 53 respectively which overlapitherside zedges;y of the-.curved platezfl. ,Theseghousingrmenrbers .i513 and i are likewiseV provided .with parallel aside :Walls .-54 and whichextenid downgagainshthelanges -i-, 2%, and 2l overlying thezframe 1&2. The purpose of the 'housing ,meniherszil zandxjl isto enclose 'the ends of thefscreen 2.9,.fto2prevent `the escapeof any: grain ywhchepassedfthrough the.- screen and ,to provide an enclosurefso thatzthe aspiration of the grain .may be controlled.

'Anzinspectiondoor lisgprovided in the plate Sie. This doorz l,is yhingedatti'l and may be opened toinspect the ',Workzbeing done by the scalper. i

An aperture :752i ris providedin the yhorizontally extendinglortion-l of thegplate 135. :Acoupling 5@ is securedinzregistrywithathis aperture 59 `and a pipe opening-'EH :is provided .at the 4top lof the coupling through :which lair 'may ,be iremoved. Thefcoupling :til is;connected to an-air-,conduit which. draws airupwardly'from thefbody of the seal-per, theiair Vbeing conveyed Vcarrying no -chaff orstraw,ib,ut otherzlight .particlesfsuch as dust.

,In order to` confine thefgrainaandxother material te the surface ,ofthe :screenlprovide a band B2 encircling leach of 4,theaspiders 2B 'and A2r'I. ,A circumferential flange x isf secured :to .each band E 2 to extend outwardly from vthe ysurface of `the screen .2.9. The angesl-Ilil @and 4I :ofthe plate 3d extend in substantially f-coplaner relation with theiange thenianges '4D :and `:il 'being cut along an arcuate pathfso as to terminate outwardly of vthe :'iiange'-&-3. A paircof baille plates te fare-bolted toLeaehe'fiange 40 and'llfl as illus-` trated in IFigure k3 of 'the-,drawings these `bailles having van ofi-set arcuate end extending in overlapping spaced :relation with the vflange 63. Sealing pads (it are secured vbetween each of the oif-setends @Efof .the :baiile Stand lthe'flange (i3, thus formingy an efective -seal to prevent grain or .foreign imaterial from sliding 01T the A'end of the rotatable cylinder.

,In vorder 'that the `linlet .of the uscalperl may be regulatedlprovide a door=or gate 61 secured'to a transverse pivot'shaft-SS in the inlet hopper. The shafti Yispositioned adjacent the plate 35 defining Aone :side .of ,thecopeningg .while the .free

edge 19 of the gate 61 may contact the end wall 45 of the housing.

An arm 1l having a slotted end 12 is secured to the shaft 69 to rotate therewith. A cross head 19 is threaded at 14 to accommodate an adjustment shaft 15 supported by a bearing 16. An adjustment seal 11 is mounted externally of the casing upon the shaft 15 by means of which the shaft may be rotated in its bearing. The shaft 15 is held from axial movement in its bearing by means of a collar 19 and nut 89. However, rotation of the threaded shaft 15 acts to move the cross head 13 longitudinally of the shaft.

The cross head 13 is provided with a bifurcated end 63 between the spaced portions of which the arm 1i' extends as best shown in Figure 5 of the drawings. A pivot Si extends through the bifurcatedend 8E! of the cross head 13 and through the slot 12 of the arm 1|. Thus as the cross head i3 is moved longitudinally by rotation of the shaft 15, the gate 61 will be pivoted into open or closed position.

The operation of my scalper is believed obvious from the foregoing description. The grain is fed in through the adjustable gate 61 and slides down the inclined wall 45 building up a bank of grain on the shelf 41. The grain contacts the surface of the screen 29, some of the kernels of grain passing through the screen and others of the kernels being guided into subsequent openings through the screen. Impurities in the grain are brought into contact with the surface of the cylinder. The roughened cylindrical surface frictionally engages these particles and carries them over the top of the cylinder allowing them to fall into the chute or hopper I9.

The grain which falls through the screen 29 drops into the interior of the screen. This grain can either pass out through the openings in the bottom of the screen or when sufficient grain is built up within the cylinder the grain may fall through the opening in the spiders 26 and 21. All grain dropping through the cylinder or through the ends thereof is allowed to drop into the hopper I3 where it is discharged through the aperture It.

During this operation dust is removed from the casing by suction. The air within the casing is partially evacuated, thus preventing the dust from being exuded from the machine.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my horizontal rotary soalper, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claim without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

A rotary scalper including a frame, a cylindrical screen, -a shaft supported by said frame, spaced open spiders on said shaft for supporting said screen for rotation about a horizontal axis, a seal engaging against the screen on opposite sides thereof, an enclosure for said screen, a pair of baffles on said enclosure extending into close proximity with the upper portion of the screens between said seals, flange means on the screen near the ends thereof and arranged in overlapping relation with the baffle means, means for rotating said screen, one of said seals acting as a grain support and the other of the seals acting to strip from the surface of the screen material carried thereby, and a hopper beneath said screen to receive material passing through said screen, said hopper enclosing the lower portions of the ends of said screen and spaced therefrom to receive material passing through said spiders.

ARCHIE AXELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 468,134 Gilbert Feb. 2, 1892 1,568,267 Carter Jan. 5, 1926 1,685,512 Varusky Sept. 25, 1928 1,812,468 Brooke June 30, 1931 2,006,867 Mjolsness July 2, 1935 2,122,249 Faber June 28, 1938 2,131,128 Thornton Sept. 27, 1938 2,134,216 Sutter Oct. 25, 1938 2,211,575 Mjolsness Aug. 13, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 598,306 Germany June 8, 1934 

